Apple is reportedly working on a new version of its Apple TV 4K streaming box, with most rumors suggesting that the new device could launch as soon as 2024. In this article, I’ll take a quick look at what we might expect to see from a new Apple TV 4K model.
The current Apple TV 4K is powered by the same A15 Bionic chip that was first used in the iPhone 13 lineup. Apple has long used iPhone chips in its Apple TV lineup, so we can logically expect to see a new A-series chip powering the 2024 lineup. We’ll likely see the new set-top device use something along the lines of the A16 chip used in the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15 lineups.
There is a slim chance that the Apple TV 4K will use the A17 Pro chip that is used in the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models. The A17 Pro is Apple’s first chip fabricated using TSMC’s 3-nanometer chip, which includes a 6-core GPU that’s able to support hardware-accelerated ray tracing for the first time. This would allow the Apple TV 4K to play console-level games, such as Resident Evil 4, which will soon debut on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
However, if rumors about the Apple TV 4K being available at a lower price are true, that could rule out the use of the more expensive A17 Pro.
Apple has not notably changed the design of the Apple TV in several years, and that’s not likely to change in 2024.
The current iPhone 15 Pro models support WiFi 6E and it’s possible that Apple may upgrade the next Apple TV 4K to the same wireless connectivity standard. WiFi 6E would allow the Apple TV to provide improved streaming and content download speeds.
Apple currently offers the Apple TV 4K in both a WiFi-only and a WiFi + Ethernet model, and that will likely continue with the next-generation model. The Apple TV could also see an upgrade to Bluetooth 5.3.
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo last year said that he expects to see a more affordable Apple TV and that a price under $100 would be the “sweet spot.” The current Apple TV 4K lineup starts at $129 for 64GB storage and WiFi-only connectivity, so Apple could either debut a new lower-priced model or, offer the current base model as a lower-cost option alongside a newer, improved model.
Many observers expect to see a new Apple TV 4K release during the first half of 2024. Apple has previously introduced Apple TV 4K models in September 2017, May 2021, and November 2022, so it could happen at any time.